The Hindu Business Line : US body to promote Pima cotton

cottonTHE American long staple cotton promotion body Supima Association of America, which promotes export sale of the finer count `Pima' cotton, plans to aggressively market the US extra long staple (ELS) cotton in India. Supima members believe this cotton has great potential in the future.

The Supima Association, sensing the gathering vacuum in the availability of finer count spinnable cotton due to the steadily falling yield potential for the indigenous DCH cotton variety, has sought to fuse the `Pima' cotton promotion with the `cotton gold alliance' branding programme for the US cotton initiated by the Cotton Council International (CCI) with its own `Supima licensee' relationship programme.

"CCI will be working aggressively to identify Indian textile manufacturers using the US cotton, particularly the `Pima' cotton and we'll be working closely to develop trade relationship between Supima members and the Indian spinners," said the CCI Regional Director (South Asia), Mr David B. Collins.

Mr Collins along with a four-member Supima delegation — Mr Marc Lewkowitz, Mr Jesse Curlee, Mr Rodger Glespey and Mr Hans Kretschmer — made a presentation to the cotton textile industry/trade here on Thursday.

The Supima delegation besides clearing the doubts of the Indian consumers of Pima cotton variety relating to fibre quality, prices indicated the scope for long-term relationship between the Indian spinners and the Pima exporters from the US.

Mr Lewkowitz (Executive Vice-President of Supima) and Mr Glespey, who represented the US's largest cotton shippers Dunavant, said after recording a `perfect' Pima cotton season in 2002-03 when the total production was 6.78 lakh bales, Pima output for the ensuing 2003-04 season was projected to be lower at 4.4 lakh bales. This would mean a lower exports and higher price behaviour this year.

"Right now, Pima growers concern is about the yield potential, than the quality parameters which are well established as the profitability of the crop is based on how big is the crop," felt Mr Jesse Curlee. With domestic Pima consumption within the US remaining below one-lakh bales, Supima has to export bulk of the production outside the US.

Traditionally, the Indian ELS cotton consuming spinners fall back on the Egyptian cotton and the aggressive marketing by the American ELS producers in India to sell their produce would provide sufficient options for the domestic spinners.

In this background, the South India Cotton Association under whose aegis Supima-CCI-textile industry/trade meet was held is expected to work out long term business relationship with the American cotton producers through CCI.

According to Mr David Collins, Supima, which has launched a $ 1 million dollar consumer advertisement campaign to develop increased brand recognition under `Cotton US' for its ELS cotton, will be shifting to the second gear of the campaign (from the earlier trade targeted drive) to promoting Supima cotton for apparel application. It has also started the first consumer advertising in India this year.

Supima is also looking at the scope for widening the list of Indian licensees of users of Pima cotton.

Import of US Pima cotton into India which touched an all time high of 62,000 bales in 2002-03 as against some 20,000 bales in 2001-02 is expected to further grow this year when the Pima import into this country is expected to cross one lakh bales.

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